Noncovalent Intermolecular Interactions in Organic Electronic Materials: Implications for the Molecular Packing vs Electronic Properties of Acenes

Noncovalent intermolecular interactions, which can be tuned through the toolbox of synthetic chemistry, determine not only the molecular packing but also the resulting electronic, optical, and mechanical properties of materials derived from pi-conjugated molecules, oligomers, and polymers. Here, we provide an overview of the theoretical underpinnings of noncovalent intermolecular interactions and briefly discuss the computational chemistry approaches used to understand the magnitude of these interactions. These methodologies are then exploited to illustrate how noncovalent intermolecular interactions impact important electronic properties-such as the electronic coupling between adjacent molecules, a key parameter for charge-carrier transport-through a comparison between the prototype organic semiconductor pentacene with a series of N-substituted heteropentacenes. Incorporating an understanding of these interactions into the design of organic semiconductors can assist in developing novel materials systems from this fascinating molecular class.